Audi RS3 review

There’s an admirable belligerence about the Audi RS3. It hasn’t been made a crime just yet, after all, to put a big engine into something relatively small and create an amusingly alternative driver’s car in the process, much as a great many of Europe’s CO2-based taxation regimes would already suggest it ought to be.

It really would be an aberration, though, if Audi’s excellent EA855 five-cylinder performance engine, motivator of the likes of the Audi TT RS and RS Q3 and winner of more International Engine of the Year awards (yes, they do exist) than you can shake a golden crankshaft at, were taken from us any earlier than was absolutely necessary.

Hot hatchbacks like this used to be a little more common, but the RS3 has become the last of that over-engined breed, with motors significantly bigger, more powerful and more mechanically exotic than you expect to find in any humble five-door and something of the aura of the custom-built, engine-swapped hot rod about them.

The Mercedes-AMG A45 is just as outrageous, but is powered by merely four cylinders. The Volkswagen Golf R is a more subtle alternative, while the Toyota GR Yaris is smaller and perhaps a bit more fun.

But the Audi is somehow mechanically bigger and bolder than its rivals. And yet more restrained — and even a bit dour — compared with them.

Verdict Model tested: Rating: 8

Audi RS3

Hyper-hatch doesn't disappoint, assuming you know what you're looking at GoodRorty five-cylinder engineEveryday usabilitySubtle looksBadExpensive for a hot hatchCan feel a bit blunt to driveInterior fails to wow

TECHNICAL SPECS

Model tested: Audi RS3 Sportback Vorsprung Price: £58,650 Price as tested: £65,705 Engine: 5 cyls in line, 2480cc, turbocharged, petrol Transmission: 7-speed automatic Driveline layout: Front engine, four-wheel drive Model tested Audi RS3 Sportback Vorsprung Price £58,650 Price as tested £65,705 View all specs and rivals Engine 5 cyls in line, 2480cc, turbocharged, petrol Transmission 7-speed automatic Driveline layout Front engine, four-wheel drive Power 394bhp at 5600-7000rpm Torque 369lb ft at 2250-5600rpm 0-62mph 3.8sec Top speed 180mph Kerb weight (DIN) 1570kg Fuel economy 32.1-34.0mpg CO2